With these preparations in place, we were ready for the initial outage. After the unit was taken out of service and electrically safe, the old relays were removed and the existing cabinet front was cut away to make room for the new panel face (Fig. 5).

Next, the prewired panel face was installed. Because of the advance work that had been done, we were able to physically install the new equipment in half a day. The protection modules and panel prewiring by the staff were efficient and error free.

Other than being significantly shorter, the second and third outages proceeded to go every bit as smoothly as the first. This was a further credit to the team, their dedication to the task and their sharing of ideas on how to best accomplish the work. Figure 6 shows two of the new panels installed.

THE GOOD ATTENTION

In retrospect, several factors contributed to the project success and impacted two related major areas: project-cost savings and outage-length reduction.

• The design documentation provided with the modules saved electrical and mechanical design costs by reducing the time spent on these tasks. The prewired nature of the protection modules saved shop-assembly costs.

• Assembling a mock-up/fit-up in the shop proved the concept and gave an opportunity for the team to refine the handling and assembly processes. The opportunity to perform this step, absent of the pressures of an outage, improved communication and resulted in a much smoother outage. No design decisions were required during the outage.

• The prewired modules also saved outage length by reducing the amount of in-outage labor that was required. Only those wires that could not be prepared and landed in advance were left for the outage.

• Pre-testing and module workmanship saved additional time. Before shipment, the manufacturer performed full point-to-point wiring verification on every protection module. No problems were identified in the field, reducing troubleshooting during the commissioning.

• Installation consistency offered additional savings. By the second and third outages, the staff was familiar with the prints, processes and tasks, allowing those outages to run smoothly and under the time budget.

While it is unlikely that any unit outage would be entirely stress free, these three outages were as close to that goal as we could expect them to be. The projects came in on time and under budget to a great enough extent to draw the positive notice of our management.

In our estimation, the truest testimony regarding any project approach is whether, at the end, you and your staff would suggest that future projects use the same methods. In this case, the answer is a unanimous yes.

Daniel J. Vallejo, an electrical engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation, provides technical engineering support (electrical) for major power and pumping plant systems within Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region. He has been with Reclamation for the past six years and has had a wide range of experience and exposure over the last 24 years in a variety of fields and work environments. Vallejo's experience entails mining, aerospace, computers and hydro. Vallejo holds a BSEE degree from Northern Arizona University.
DVALLEJO@mp.usbr.gov

John J. Kumm is a department manager with POWER Engineers Inc., where he is responsible for protection projects and the EasiLinc Protection Module product line. Kumm holds a BSEE degree from the University of Idaho, is a member of the IEEE Power Engineering and Industry Applications Societies, and is a registered professional engineer in several states and provinces. john.kumm@powereng.com